Christmas in the Slums
by Cryingravens13
Summary: What Reno does every Christmas, hints about his tragic past. Please R&R! Rated M for nondetailed references to prostitution, language,and to cover mah hiney! Nothing explicit.
1. Prologue

Prologue

"Nevada, Your up!" called back the crew worker, Johnny.

The stripper could feel the crowd pulsating, calling out to him. His name was being screamed in voices high and low. Nevada looked in the mirror one last time, adjusting his Santa hat and checking his make-up. His hair was gelled into perfection, his scars and tattoos had been hidden with cover-up, and all of his piercings had been filled with hoops that held golden jingle-bells. He looked like the sex-god of Christmas tide. With a quick nod to reassure himself, he heard the first few cords strike up of Santa baby. He took his place and stance behind the curtain on the stage.

"If only they knew what I do every Christmas…"


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter One

_Every employee at Shinra enjoyed Christmas a lot,_

_However a member of he elite Turks did not. _

_Reno hated Christmas the whole Christmas season,_

_Now please don't ask why no one quite knows the reason…_

Reno listened to the others banter about how they would spend their Christmas's. They were all going to see their families. Elena dreaded seeing her inebriated aunt, Tseng Was visiting his grandmother and readily awaited her Wutain Good luck cookies, and Rude was going to see his newborn nephew. Year after year he heard the same old happy stories and fantastic family outings. Then once they heard about Elena's aunt falling into Christmas dinner for the millionth time, they turned to him.

"What are you doing this year for Christmas Reno?" Elena asked.

"Oh, the usual, visiting my parents, then off to my sibling's place."

The same old lie he used last year. Sadly enough, none of the other Turks were aware that Reno had no family. He did go visit his parent's grave sight, then took presents to the children in the slums, and finally ended up where he grew up. However, telling the others that he was in fact an ex-prostitute that worked in specific for Don Corneo, wasn't something he intended to elaborate on. Saying he was visiting family was all he needed to say and they were satisfied.

Tseng looked at his watch and remarked at how late it was. Which was Reno's cue to head out. After all, he had to get home to pack for a trip to see his "parents". The others said their goodbyes and wished each other a Merry Christmas. Parting ways with his friends always made it hard to go home to his very empty apartment during the holiday season, but he knew he had to get busy. After all, he was the only person willing to give the children of the slums the Christmas they deserved.

Final Fantasy 7 © Squaresoft


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

_'Twas The Day Before Christmas, when all through the house_

_Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;_

_No stockings were hung, not a tree in sight_

_The man living inside doubted a Santa that night;_

_The man dreamed fitfully on top of his bed,_

_While visions of murder flew by in his head._

Reno sat up on his bed, allowing his eyes to adjust to the morning glow. He couldn't see across the road. It was snowing hard, practically a blizzard. Sighing he stood up and got dressed. Pulling on his coat and taking his Christmas bonus, he walked to the nearest department store and into the toy section.

"Damn lucky I live in the city and can walk." He thought to himself. He purchased toys for all ages, genders, and sizes. He was standing at the gift wrapping center and allowed the women who worked their to do their jobs, when his PHS rang. Looking at the caller he noted that it was his boss.

"Reno, here." He answered

"Reno! Where are you?" Tseng asked.

Reno checked his watch, well according to his lie he was supposed to be sitting on a plane right now.

"Tseng we're about to take off. Listen the stewardess wants me to get off the phone, so I'll call you when I get there okay? Later!" then with a click he hung up.

At the airport, Tseng stopped dead in his tracks. Looking at the flight schedule it read that all flights were canceled. There was no freaking way Reno was flying anywhere in this blizzard. Flipping his phone shut then open again, he dialed Rufus. Where the hell was Reno and why did he lie to the team?

Reno hailed a taxi and threw his gifts into the cab. Tseng wouldn't be expecting his call for a few hours so he had time to actually visit his parents after dropping off his gifts at his house. Paying the driver, upon arriving at his house, he put the packages in his back bedroom and left. The Midgar Memoriam was only a block or two away, so walking wasn't going to be that much of a hardship. On his way he bought some flowers to give them. He gave the girl an extra five gil, she looked like she could use a good meal.

The Memoriam was where every slum dweller hoped they'd end up. Occupants had an engraved nameplate that gave them an identity after death. Majority of the city populace that died in the streets were simply taken to the crematorium and burned away into nothing if they had no family or their family could not pay. However, his parents had just enough money to get an engraved nameplate. Walls and walls, full of nameplates lined the Memoriam like books in a library. Reno walked to his parent's names and set the flowers in the holder.

Jack and Mary Patens

Died on the 5th of December.

The year was too smudged to see, but Reno didn't care about the year. All he knew was that he was alone in this world and these were his reminders of the horrors Shinra could commit. Giving his parents a kiss he turned and walked out of the Memoriam. He had to get started or else he would never get to deliver the presents to the children in time.

Final Fantasy 7 © Squaresoft


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

_Silent night, holy night,_

_Shepherds quake at the sight,_

_Glories stream from heaven afar,_

_Heavenly hosts sing alleluia;_

_Christ the Savior, is born!_

_Christ the Savior, is born_!

Arriving at his house, he noted that his visit had taken enough time arrive at his supposed parents. He opened his phone and dialed Tseng. It went to voice mail so he hung up; apparently his call wasn't that important. Grabbing an armload of presents, Reno left his apartment and began to wander the streets. He went to shelters, to alleys, to street corners, then to orphanages. He gave out a large portion of the presents keeping only twenty for the Corneo Boys he would be visiting later. His last order of business was to get ready for the best gift he could give.

Reno showered, shaved, and got dressed into clean clothing. He grabbed the presents and his duffel bag then headed out. The walk to Wall Market from his home was quite a ways, but he'd walked further then that on missions. Stepping into the slums, he smelled the familiar stench of Sector Six. This was the home of crime and perversion. This was his home growing up. Quickly he walked to the back of the sector, and to the Honey Bee Inn. A line was already forming outside to see tonight's special performance. Sidestepping the line, he walked to the employee entrance where Corneo was there to greet him.

"Oh, my dear boy! I didn't think you would make it. Are we having the same deal as last year?" The rotund man asked.

Reno nodded, "All of my earnings dancing tonight and the auction at the end are to be put towards the children having tomorrow off. They are not to see any customers and they are not to dance. They will be allowed to have a Christmas dinner and they are allowed to simply be children for the day. Is that clear?"

"Sure thing doll-face. You dance, then you fuck, and they get to have a Christmas. Now, we wouldn't want to be running late for the demand show. Go get ready!" Corneo laughed shooing the Turk into the dressing rooms.

Reno sighed and slid into the red bikini panties. He did his make-up and hid every mark that would connect him to the Turks. He hid his scars, making his skin pure and unblemished. He changed his hairstyle to that of his old self, slicking the spikes down and tying a green ribbon in his hair. He covered his tattoos, making dead sure to cover the ones on his face. He replaced all of his piercings with golden jingle bells on hoops, instead of his normal silver. He put the Santa hat on his head and a piece of mistletoe behind his ear.

He looked at himself in the mirror. No longer was he the fearsome Turk that had killed so many. Instead he was the whore he was raised to be. He had grown up in this hellhole. He knew what it was like to not have a Christmas. The only thing he could ever want more in this life at this moment was for the children just like him to get the Christmas he never got to have. To have someone reach out and care for them the way he always dreamed of being cared for. He had been Corneo's moneymaker all those years ago. The best and most demanded whore in the brothel. Now, he only returned on Christmas and made people bid to spend the night with him. No one knew he was a Turk, they all believed him to simply be a very wealthy whore that only people above the plate could afford.

Reno chuckled to himself, what would Tseng say if he knew that this is what Reno did every Christmas? He knew his boss would be appalled, as would his coworkers if they ever found out. They believed he visited a happy family and that Reno was simply the black sheep with his foul mouth and crude humor. Little did they know that he had grown up in the slums having men and women who fancied little boys come to him for sex. That he was beaten for refusing to remove clothing. That he had been trained to sexually satisfy men and women from the time he was eight. That he was THE Nevada, a whoring legend.

"Nevada, your up!" called back the crew worker, Johnny.

Reno could feel the crowd pulsating, calling out to him. His name was being screamed in voices high and low. Reno looked in the mirror one last time, adjusting his Santa hat and checking his make-up. His hair was gelled into perfection, his scars and tattoos had been hidden with cover-up, and all of his piercings had been filled with hoops that held golden jingle-bells. He looked like the sex-god of Christmas tide. With a quick nod to reassure himself, he heard the first few cords strike up of Santa baby. He took his place and stance behind the curtain on the stage.

"If only they knew what I do every Christmas…"

Final Fantasy 7 © Squaresoft


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

_Come and trim my Christmas tree_

_With some decorations bought at Tiffany_

_I really do believe in you_

_Let's see if you believe in me_

_Boo doo bee doo_

The crowd roared as soon as the curtains came up. A man stood in the center holding a large plastic candy cane. Dancing in time with the music, enticing the crowd into a fevered frenzy. His movements could be likened to a cat moving. His hips rolled, his shoulders swayed, and his hands caressed every inch of himself. This was the great Nevada. This was the beautiful man that majority of the world would pay to lie beside. He blew the crowd kisses and slid the bikinis a little lower on his hips, so low they threatened to fall off his slender body.

Upon entering the address Rufus had given them the Turks half expected Reno to be visiting a hooker he knocked up or enjoying the view of a woman's breasts. They did not; however expect to see him on the stage, dancing to a full house of wealthy businessmen. Tseng could almost kick himself for not realizing it once Rufus insisted that they go visit the strip club instead of just telling them he was there. They would never have believed him.

Tseng nudged a man and asked, "What is the occasion for Nevada to perform?"

The man looked at Tseng and slurred, "Once a year, he performs and gives people to bid on the opportunity to fuck him. Corneo says it's his way of remembering his past."

The song ended and Corneo stepped out. "Ladies and Gentlemen! Now is the moment you have all been waiting for. You get the option to bid on this lovely piece of ass!"

With a harsh slap Corneo grabbed Reno's ass. "While the bidding takes place, this beautiful young man is going to go get ready for his lucky winner! Let's give a hand to Nevada!"

Reno bowed deeply then exited the stage, standing briefly to blow a kiss to the crowd before ducking backstage. His adrenaline pumping to it's fullest the way it used to when he would perform. Not even his work as a Turk could give him this kind of high. A stagehand threw him a robe to cover himself with. He nodded his thanks and continued his way back to the dressing rooms. He shut the door behind himself and pressed his body against it. He didn't want to hear the bidding or who the winner was. All he wanted was to be sure the children got a Christmas then return home. Walking over to a mirror, he began to clean up. He stayed in outfit; he usually let the winner decide how to remove the garments. He cleaned off a little of the make-up so it wouldn't be as hard to clean off later. He walked to the back of the room and through a sliding door, to the "bedrooms". Sadly, the only resemblance to bedrooms these rooms had was beds.

The walls were covered with outfits for various fetishes, bondage hangings, dressers full of condoms, and bedside tables filled with various lubricants and assorted toys. A red light blinked on in the corner once to indicate that there was a winner. Reno sighed, he had ten minutes to get ready. He walked to a vanity at the far end of the room and began to remove a few of his earrings. The red silk robe saved a bit of modesty, but you could still see every inch of his silky smooth legs. The red light clicked on twice, the winner was a minute or two from entering. Quickly, Reno put his tongue ring in and moved to sit on the bed.

The door opened without any knocking, Reno hadn't even made it to the bed. As soon as the redhead looked up at who had won, he stopped and stood stock-still.

Impossible…..

Final Fantasy © Squaresoft


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

_The sights, the sounds_

_They're everywhere and all around_

_I've never felt this good before_

_This empty place inside of me has been filling up_

_I simply cannot get enough_

_I want it, oh, I want it_

_Oh, I want it for my own_

_I've got to know_

_I've got to know_

_What is this place that I have found?_

_What is this?_

Dark brown met, vivid green. They stood for a while staring into each other's eyes. Finally Reno pulled his gaze from the man's accusing stare. Cautiously he sat on the bed, covering himself as much as possible. Two worlds that were never meant to collide suddenly smashed headlong into each other, sending Reno into a fevered frenzy of confusion.

"Out of all the questions I want to ask you, I think the only one I can ask you comfortably right now is; why did you lie to us?"

"I thought you were supposed to be in Wutai. What happened?"

"You are most certainly not changing the subject. You will not point a blaming finger at me. You LIED to us Reno. Do you honestly think we mean that little us, or that we wouldn't care that you're whoring yourself out to the highest bidders?

Reno sat in silence for a time then whispered in the tiniest voice Tseng had ever heard the man use, "You weren't supposed to find out. Rufus was the only person that knew. The only reason he knew at all was because he showed up last year. I never wanted you or the team to know."

"How did you even get into this mess Reno? Making deals with Corneo is dangerous enough, but stripping for him? What could possibly lead you to do this? Does Shinra Not pay you enough?"

Reno looked at Tseng as if the man had grown a second head.

"Do you honestly think I would do this for extra gil? That I would stand on a stage and let some rich prick buy me like a pet for an evening, just so I could have a little extra cash?"

It was Tseng's turn to look away, "Then why do you do this Reno?"

"I do it for the kids!"

Tseng snorted, "What kids?"

"The kids that live in this hell hole. The kids that are forced to either starve or be whores."

"Corneo doesn't employ children, Reno. He employs teenagers that are of age-"

"NO! There are children who live and work here. They are slum orphans that no one looks after. No orphanage will take them, food shelters don't have enough to feed them, and all available jobs have age requirements. Corneo offers them food, shelter, clothing, and a bed. He gives them false hope that if they get good enough they can leave. Tells them that after this last customer they can leave.

Then after they fight their way to the top and have taken more customers then half of the women in his harems, he tells them that if they want to leave they can, all the need to do is simply pay what they owe him then they can leave. What he doesn't tell them is that no matter how much money they make, he raises their rent, food, and utilities, so that they will always be in debt to him. He never mentioned all those years ago when they were just children, half of them not even knowing how to read. The document they signed gave him the right to raise the price of their needs. This conning has and will always be Corneo's way of keeping his constant supply of whores. He gets them young and by the time they realize their mistake, it's too late. Even if they run, Soldier has to go after them since they signed a binding contract."

Tseng stood in sheer horror, "Reno, how do you know all of this?"

Reno looked away and replied in a small voice that Tseng could barely hear, "I was one of them."


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

_Fast away the old year passes, _

_Fa la la la la, la la la la. _

_Hail the new, ye lads and lasses, _

_Fa la la la la, la la la la. _

Tseng stared stunned at Reno. The man had just told him that he had been a whore his entire life. What the hell was he supposed to say?

"All these years, you said you went home." Tseng whispered.

"I did. This was my home." Reno said softly.

"Where are your parents?" Tseng questioned.

"I visited them earlier."

"Why didn't they stop what happened to you?" Tseng asked incredulously.

"They're dead. I visit their grave every year."

"Your siblings?" Tseng asked.

"All of the Corneo children are my siblings."

"If it is so hard to get out, how did you do it?"

"Shinra hired me after I unintentionally killed a guy that was supposed to be a Turk hit. They paid off my debt as payment then offered me a job."

"Why didn't you just save up and pay Corneo to let the kids off for the night?"

"I tried, he would take my money then make the kids work regardless."

Tseng opened and shut his mouth. All he could do was look at Reno. The beautiful man before him was looking at his feet, showing the most embarrassment he had ever shown.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Tseng asked.

Reno looked away from his feet and into a distant corner of the room. He was silent for a moment then he looked at Tseng.

"You people are all that I have, the only people whose opinion matters to me. Think about it, how would you tell your family that you're a whore?" Reno said.

Tseng was taken aback. He had never thought of his team like that, but now he could see it. They lived together, they ate together, and they cared for each other when illness struck. They laughed, cried, and would die all likelihood together. They were a family.

Tseng looked into Reno's eyes, letting that gorgeous green wash over him.

"We would have never thought any less of you, Reno." Tseng said.

Reno blushed, "I am sorry I never told you."

"I am sorry you had to live through it alone."

Reno smiled and stood. Reaching out he gave his boss a hug and Tseng returned it.

"Come on, let's go meet your family, Reno."

Reno smiled and reached over for his clothing.

"By the way Tseng, how did you get clearance to come back here?"

"Let's just say we owe Rufus a large favor."

Reno smiled, "Merry Christmas, Tseng."

"Merry Christmas, Reno."

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And finished by June (cheers and waves flag) Yea…if you don't care for the ending, or think there should be more let me know. Not saying it will change much, but I might have more to add. I am just happy that the damn thing could be considered over, and before the year is up!

Thank you please read and review!

CR13


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